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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 415 records · Page 23

Automatic fitting of multiple-field solid-state NMR spectra

The NMR lineshapes produced by half-integer quadrupolar nuclei are sensitive to 11 distinct fit parameters per inequivalent site. To date, automatic fitting routines have failed to replace manual parameter insertion and evaluation due to the importance of local minima and the need for fitting multiple-field magic-angle spinning (MAS) and static spectra simultaneously. Herein we introduce a new tool, AMES-Fit (Automatic Multiple Experiment Simulation and Fitting), to automatically find the global best-fit simulation parameters for a series of multiple-field NMR lineshapes. AMES-Fit uses an adaptive step size random search algorithm to dynamically probe parameter space and requires minimal human input. Importantly, the best fits are obtained in a few minutes of computation time that would otherwise have required several person-hours of work. The program is freely available and open-source.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Low Precision and Efficient Programming Languages for Sustainable AI: Final Report for the Summer Project of 2024

This document contains all relevant material generated during the authors' summer internship at NREL in 2024. This report shows how to improve energy efficiency of a few code samples by using low-precision data types combined with mixed-precision algorithms. The main applications considered here are (i) linear system solvers using mixed precision, and (ii) neural networks using mixed precision. This report also discusses how programming languages affect energy consumption of algorithms, energy metrics for a code and tools, and the available current software and hardware infrastructure.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Quantum Computing Strategy 2026

Quantum computing (QC) is a rapidly maturing technology with the potential for revolutionary impacts on stockpile stewardship science and national security. Recent developments in fault-tolerant architectures have compressed vendor roadmaps, and predictions of a production-ready quantum computer by the mid-2030s are becoming increasingly credible. This strategy provides a roadmap for integrating QC into the Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) program by investing in four strategic focus areas: 1. Develop Capabilities in Mission-Relevant Quantum Applications: ASC will prioritize developing quantum-ready applications in mission areas that have shown significant promise for quantum advantage, including simulations of materials in extreme environments, nuclear dynamics, solving linear and nonlinear partial differential equations, and uncertainty quantification. These applications directly support stockpile stewardship science and modernization objectives. 2. Conduct R&D in Algorithms, Software, and Hardware: Sustained research into quantum algorithms, robust software tools, and quantum hardware is essential. ASC will develop efficient quantum algorithms; invest in quantum compilers, debuggers, and performance tools; and explore specialized quantum hardware tailored to NNSA’s unique requirements. 3. Engage with Vendors and Partners: Early and active collaboration with commercial quantum hardware vendors and academic partners is critical. Through testbeds, co-design agreements, and quantum demonstration facilities, ASC will influence hardware design, gain early access to emerging technologies, and ensure that quantum platforms evolve to meet mission needs. 4. Build Knowledge, Experience, and Workforce: Expanding and upskilling the quantum-trained workforce is essential to long-term success. This includes hiring, internal training, university outreach, and postdoctoral support to ensure ASC maintains the expertise required to operate, program, and integrate quantum systems as they become available. While quantum computing will never replace classical computing, it has the potential to solve certain problems with speed and accuracy that would be unachievable using any conceivable classical high-performance computing (HPC) system. By investing strategically in QC, ASC will help propel the emergent QC industry, maintain U.S. technological leadership, ensure mission readiness, and position itself to rapidly adopt quantum technologies as they mature.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DXRD : a user-friendly suite of two- and multiple-beam dynamical X-ray diffraction programs

The DXRD program suite consisting of a series of dynamical theory programs is introduced for computing dynamical X-ray diffraction from single crystals. Its interactive graphical user interfaces (GUIs) allow general users to make complicated calculations with minimal effort. It can calculate plane-wave Darwin curves of single crystals (or multiple crystals) for both the Bragg and Laue cases, including grazing-incidence diffraction and backward diffraction (with Bragg angles approaching 90°). It is also capable of simulating rocking curves for divergent incident X-ray beams with finite bandwidths. A unique feature of DXRD is that it provides a convenient GUI-based multiple-beam diffraction program that can accurately compute arbitrary N-beam diffraction of any geometry using a universal 4N × 4N matrix method. DXRD also provides a mapping program for plotting all the multiple-beam diffraction lines (monochromator glitches) in the azimuth–energy coordinate system. All these functions make DXRD a convenient and powerful software tool for designing crystal-based synchrotron/X-ray optics (monochromators, analyzers, polarizers, phase plates etc.) and for crystal characterization, X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction teaching.

Bragg reflection↗

OpenSHMEM Implementation of IOR Benchmark

The benchmarking effort within the Computational Research & Development Programs at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) seeks to design and enable High Performance Computing (HPC) benchmarks and test suites. The work described in this report is a part of the effort focusing on the comparison and analysis of OpenSHMEM implementations using the Interleave Or Random (IOR) software for benchmarking parallel file system using POSIX, MPIIO, or HDF5 interfaces. We describe the effort to emulate the MPIIO parallel collective capabilities in the IOR benchmark using OpenSHMEM communication. One development effort was in emulating the MPI derived datatype used in the read/write operations and in setting the file view. Another effort was in implementing an internal cache in OpenSHMEM distributed shared memory to facilitate global collective I/O operations. Experiments comparing collective I/O in MPIIO implementations with the OpenSHMEM implementations were performed on the SGI Turing Cluster and the Cray XK7 Titan supercomputer at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF). The preliminary results suggest that on the Cray XK7 Titan, the MPIIO implementations obtained higher write performance and the OpenSHMEM version obtained slightly higher read performance. On the SGI Turing Cluster, the MPIIO implementations obtained slightly higher performance over the OpenSHMEM implementations on large files.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

300_underground robot (final research report)

Recent advancements in mobile robotics have displayed impressive capabilities in traversing and accessing areas that are inaccessible to humans either due to the characteristics of the environment or potential hazards. Furthermore, these advancements within the field of mobile robotics, more specifically uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs), give the ability to potentially survey, observe, and map these inaccessible areas for humans. However, one of the most challenging areas to implement this technology is underground environments. The main challenge with implementing this technology in underground environments is the dependence on either GPS or RF communication for UGVs to navigate properly. Therefore, in order to properly demonstrate the mapping capabilities of the UGV this challenge must be resolved. The overall goal of this study is to demonstrate the mapping capabilities of a UGV while addressing this challenge and documenting the implementation and testing phase of the robot. The proposed solution to this challenge is to implement a SLAM algorithm onto the main computational device of the UGV utilizing the Robot Operating System (ROS). The algorithm is the open-source software package Slam Toolbox developed by Steve Macenski. Furthermore, the sllidar_ros2 package from Slamtec will be used to gather the lidar data from an A3M1 2D lidar. A separate program will be created to gather odometry information for our UGV robot. All of these software packages will run together in a Docker environment. Through working on this project I have developed a better understanding of the world of robotics/autonomous systems, especially with applications such as navigation and mapping. Furthermore, through this project, I have been given exposure to how research is conducted within a DOE lab setting. As robotics/autonomous systems become more advanced it's important to pursue more avenues of research such as this project as it will ensure the development of our capabilities.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Cluster Dynamics Modeling Needs for the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Program

This milestone report aims to identify and assess the cluster dynamics (CD) modeling requirements within the Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMT) program and to communicate these needs to the DOE-NE Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program. The goal is to ensure NEAMS is well-informed about the CD modeling requirements to support AMMT's mission of accelerating the development, qualification, demonstration, and deployment of advanced structural materials and manufacturing for nuclear energy applications. CD modeling is an essential tool for predicting the degradation of structural materials under irradiation, which is a key component of AMMT's accelerated qualification process. The AMMT program focuses on both additively manufactured and wrought structural alloys, such as laser powder-bed fusion 316H austenitic stainless steel, alloy 709, Haynes 244, and alloy 617. These materials require a generalized CD modeling framework to facilitate rapid model development and computational simulation. A flexible, generalized CD software, similar to the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) finite element framework, would enable modeling of various cluster types, including defect clusters, defect-solute clusters, and multicomponent clusters, incorporating thermodynamics and kinetics parameters. Radiation effects, microstructural feature evolution, and multi-dimensional modeling are critical considerations for the CD model. The usability of the CD code should allow for easy modification and coupling with MOOSE-based simulations. Additionally, the software should adhere to Nuclear Quality Assurance-1 standards, include a testing suite for verification and validation, and be version-controlled within a national laboratory-managed Git repository. Benchmark problems are needed to assess code predictions and performance.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Toward Resilient Heterogeneous Computing Workflow through Kokkos-DataSpaces Integration

With the growing number of applications designed for heterogeneous HPC devices, application programmers and users are finding it challenging to compose scalable workflows as ensembles of these applications, that are portable, performant and resilient. The Kokkos C++ library has been designed to simplify this cumbersome procedure by providing an intra-application uniform programming model and portable performance. However, assembling multiple Kokkos-enabled applications into a complex workflow is still a challenge. Although Kokkos enables a uniform programming model, the inter-application data exchange still remains a challenge from both performance and software development cost perspectives. In order to address this issue, we propose a Kokkos-DataSpaces Integration, with the goal of providing a virtual shared-space abstraction that can be accessed concurrently by all applications in an Kokkos workflow, thus extending Kokkos to support inter-application data exchange.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

System, method, and computer program for creating an internal conforming structure

A system for creating an internal formation of a tubular structure having an inner surface via additive manufacturing. The system broadly includes a computer modeling system and an additive manufacturing system. The computer modeling system may include a processor for generating a lattice cellular component via computer-aided design software according to inputs received from a user. The processor may also generate an internal formation lattice structure based on the lattice cellular component and modify the lattice structure to follow and/or conform to the curvature of the inner surface of the outer wall of the tubular structure. The additive manufacturing system may be configured to produce the lattice structure and the tubular structure via additive manufacturing material deposited layer by layer according to the lattice structure.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Electric train energy consumption modeling

For this paper we develop an electric train energy consumption modeling framework considering instantaneous regenerative braking efficiency in support of a rail simulation system. The model is calibrated with data from Portland, Oregon using an unconstrained non-linear optimization procedure, and validated using data from Chicago, Illinois by comparing model predictions against the National Transit Database (NTD) estimates. The results demonstrate that regenerative braking efficiency varies as an exponential function of the deceleration level, rather than an average constant as assumed in previous studies. The model predictions are demonstrated to be consistent with the NTD estimates, producing a predicted error of 1.87% and -2.31%. The paper demonstrates that energy recovery reduces the overall power consumption by 20% for the tested Chicago route. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates that the proposed modeling approach is able to capture energy consumption differences associated with train, route and operational parameters, and thus is applicable for project-level analysis. The model can be easily implemented in traffic simulation software, used in smartphone applications and eco-transit programs given its fast execution time and easy integration in complex frameworks.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

E3SMFC

SAND2025-01123O E3SMFC is a software tool that integrates a feedback controller algorithm into the E3SM climate model to regulate sulfur dioxide injection, aiming to achieve specific climate outcomes. The program uses proportional-integral-derivative feedback control to adjusts sulfur dioxide levels in both spatial and temporal dimensions. It will only operate on computers that can run the DOE climate model E3SM. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

Ojetola, Samuel↗

Development of an Energy Efficient and Cost Effective Autonomous Vehicle Research Platform

Commercialization of autonomous vehicle technology is a major goal of the automotive industry, thus research in this space is rapidly expanding across the world. However, despite this high level of research activity, literature detailing a straightforward and cost-effective approach to the development of an AV research platform is sparse. To address this need, we present the methodology and results regarding the AV instrumentation and controls of a 2019 Kia Niro which was developed for a local AV pilot program. This platform includes a drive-by-wire actuation kit, Aptiv electronically scanning radar, stereo camera, MobilEye computer vision system, LiDAR, inertial measurement unit, two global positioning system receivers to provide heading information, and an in-vehicle computer for driving environment perception and path planning. Robotic Operating System software is used as the system middleware between the instruments and the autonomous application algorithms. After selection, installation, and integration of these components, our results show successful utilization of all sensors, drive-by-wire functionality, a total additional power* consumption of 242.8 Watts (*Typical), and an overall cost of $118,189 USD, which is a significant saving compared to other commercially available systems with similar functionality. This vehicle continues to serve as our primary AV research and development platform.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

gpCAM v8

gpCAM is a Python software for large-scale Gaussian-Process driven uncertainty quantification, Bayesian Optimization, and Autonomous Experimentation. It is designed with maximum flexibility and customizability while offering record-breaking computing capabilities. In 2023 gpCAM broke the world record for Gaussian processes on large datasets set in 2019. Through clever programming and math, Gaussian Process building blocks, such as prior mean, kernel, and noise functions maintain their mathematical flexibility while supporting acceleration and scaling. This flexibility means that the approximation and uncertainty quantification can be domain-aware and extended over exotic input and output spaces.

Noack, Marcus↗

FAST-1.0.1 User Installation and Verification Guide

The purpose of this document is to provide the user information about the installation of FAST-1.0.1 on their computers or servers. General information about the code and supported operating systems is described in Section 1.0.1. Self-service oriented FAST-1.0.1 software licensing steps are described in Section 2.0. An installation verification test suite is provided with FAST-1.0.1 and described in Section 3.0. A convenience script for converting FRAPCON to FAST inputs is discussed in Section 4.0. FAST-1.0.1 was developed and released under a software quality assurance program based upon NQA-1-2017. FAST-1.0.1 is the latest baseline code and the result of a bug fixes to FAST-1.0 with other software and methodology developments. The installation verification test suite contains both steady state and transient Anticipated Operation Occurrences (AOOs). Capability to model accident conditions, such as Reactivity Initiated Accidents (RIAs) and Loss Of Coolant Accidents (LOCAs), are targeted for a later release of FAST. FRAPTRAN-2.0 will continue to be used for accident conditions until the release of FAST with accident condition modeling capabilities.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

An end-to-end workflow for executing a classically bootstrapped variational quantum algorithm on an academic quantum computer

Academic quantum computing platforms often face unique challenges in executing quantum workloads due to fragmented software environments and limited engineering support. Unlike commercial ecosystems, academic devices typically evolve without full-stack integration in mind, making it difficult to run complex applications—such as variational quantum algorithms (VQA)—reliably and efficiently. Issues such as incompatible software layers and lack of automated job management significantly increase the overhead of theory-experiment collaboration. To address these challenges, we develop a modular, end-to-end workflow that decouples application-layer code from low-level hardware control, automates circuit submission and result collection, and supports fine-grained circuit-level job scheduling and recovery. The architecture employs a dual-end application programming interface (API) design, enabling robust operation across unstable or resource-constrained hardware backends. For practical use, the framework is lightweight and user-friendly, allowing rapid prototyping of full-stack workflows using basic Python tools. We validate this workflow on a high-fidelity trapped-ion quantum computer by demonstrating a variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) experiment with a classically bootstrapped ansatz initialization technique. The system successfully executed over 60,000 circuits across multiple molecular test cases with minimal human intervention, highlighting the framework’s effectiveness in enabling reproducible, resilient quantum experimentation in academic settings.

Clifford↗

Speeding up software with VecCore

Portable and efficient vectorization is a significant challenge in large software projects such as GeantV, ROOT, and experiments’ frameworks. Nevertheless, fully exploiting SIMD parallelism will be a required step in order to bridge the widening gap between the needs and availability of computing resouces for data analysis and processing in particle physics. Although there are SIMD libraries that wrap compiler intrinsics into a convenient interface, they do not always support all available architectures, or they only perform well in some of them. The VecCore library was created to address some of these performance and portability issues by providing a unified abstraction layer on top of existing libraries, such as Vc or UME::SIMD. In this article, we discuss VecCore’s programming model for SIMD code and some use cases in HEP software packages such as VecGeom and GeantV.

Amadio, G.↗

ChatHPC: Building the Foundations for a Productive and Trustworthy AI-Assisted HPC Ecosystem

ChatHPC democratizes large language models for the high-performance computing (HPC) community by providing the infrastructure, ecosystem, and knowledge needed to apply modern generative AI technologies to rapidly create specific capabilities for critical HPC components while using relatively modest computational resources. Our divide-and-conquer approach focuses on creating a collection of reliable, highly specialized, and optimized AI assistants for HPC based on the cost-effective and fast Code Llama fine-tuning processes and expert supervision. We target major components of the HPC software stack, including programming models, runtimes, I/O, tooling, and math libraries. Thanks to AI, ChatHPC provides a more productive HPC ecosystem by boosting important tasks related to portability, parallelization, optimization, scalability, and instrumentation, among others. With relatively small datasets (on the order of KB), the AI assistants, which are created in a few minutes by using one node with two NVIDIA H100 GPUs and the ChatHPC library, can create new capabilities with Meta’s 7-billion parameter Code Llama base model to produce high-quality software with a level of trustworthiness of up to 90% higher than the 1.8-trillion parameter OpenAI ChatGPT-4o model for critical programming tasks in the HPC software stack.

Young, Aaron [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000254484667)↗

Preventing Run-Time Bugs at Compile-Time Using Advanced C++

When writing software, we develop algorithms that tell the computer what to do at run-time. Our solutions are easier to understand and debug when they are properly modeled using class hierarchies, enumerations, and a well-factored API. Unfortunately, even with these design tools, we end up having to debug our programs at run-time. Worse still, debugging an embedded system changes its dynamics, making it tough to find and fix concurrency issues. This paper describes techniques using C++ to detect run-time bugs *at compile time*. A concurrency library, developed at Fermilab, is used for examples in illustrating these techniques.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗